There is a demand for sensors, detectors and signal processing systems of small size.
Micromechanical elements are suited to realize such systems. Conventional, micromechanical systems are rather simple and their capabilities are not overwhelming. So far, the physics of larger systems has been transferred into devices of smaller size as a simple process of miniaturization. In the co-pending patent application PCTIIB 95/00817, with title "Mechanical Signal Processor Based on Micromechanical Oscillators and Intelligent Acoustic Detectors and Systems Based Thereon", for the first time a micromechanical AND gate was addressed, which broke new grounds in micromechanics. Such an AND gate may serve as basic building block for many different kinds of micromechanical signal processing systems, including microphones, acoustic and tactile sensors and the like.
Since all mechanical systems are subject to losses of different nature, micromechanical building blocks are required which compensate such losses, and, if needed, provide for amplification. A complex micromechanical acoustic sensor, for example, which comprises several levels of oscillating cantilevers being mechanically coupled would run dead without having special means to compensate for losses.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus compensating losses in a micromechanical system.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus which compensates losses in micromechanical systems comprising oscillating cantilevers.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus which improves known micromechanical signal processing systems.